The Fanfiction Graveyard
by Millie Bates
Summary: A collection of incomplete, unedited fics that I have abandoned. They were taking too much space up on my computer, so they're coming here to die. There is further explanation inside. Characters will be tagged as needed.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a project I'm doing called "The Fanfiction Graveyard". It is really just a way for me to post the stories I have abandoned because I can't keep them on my computer anymore. It's taking up space.**

 **How this works is each "Chapter" is the entire fanfiction that I haven't completed, so some may be short like this one at 600 words. Some may be 6,000 words because it may be more than one chapter compiled together. Some may have grammar or spelling errors because I'm not going through them. All are abandoned. This is where they come to rest. R.I.P. and I hope you enjoy.**

 _(DenNor fic. Setting: Kalmar)_

"Why do you got so many books, Norge?"

Norway sighed and looked up at Denmark as he ran his fingers along the spines of his book collection. He was wearing his usual grin and being loud, as always. It was always a treat when Denmark busted into his room and started rummaging through his things without permission.

"This is my room, idiot," he said as he flipped the page in his book and continued to read, ignoring the others glances. Denmark grabbed a book, plopped down on the bed, and skimmed through the pages, staring only at the pictures and ignoring the words completely. "Well, this is my house! And what I say goes," he replied with a smirk.

What Norway wouldn't give to wipe that stupid smirk off of his face. First, he had taken his land by force. Second, he was forced to live under the same roof as him. All of it was enough to make his blood boil. He wished he could have been more like Sweden, who Denmark only pestered whenever he wanted to fight with someone.

He stared at the book, realizing he'd read three pages already without understand a single word. He turned the page back and squinted at Denmark. Distracts me even when he's not talking, he thought.

A few minutes passed and Denmark was already bored with the book he'd chosen. He pulled out another one with a purple spine and began to search through it, though he only stopped on the pictures, just like he had with the last book. This one, though, was Norway's favorite book. A magic book. It was full of spells, incantations, potions, and more. It was a gift from England and he treasured it dearly.

Denmark wasn't nearly as tender with the book as he should have been. When he turned a page, it tore on the bottom. It was just a little tear, but it was enough for Norway to put his book down and pull the book out of the other mans hands. "You ripped my book!" He said, grazing a finger over the tear. He slammed it shut, stood up, and smacked Denmark across the cheek. "Leave my room," he said through grit teeth.

As usual, Denmark stayed put, only doing what he wanted to do. "Norge, I didn't mean to tear your book! It's just tiny, anyways. It's not a big deal," he said. But it was a big deal to Norway, and he didn't want to hear anymore excused. He started to drag Denmark out, but he was stronger and it was useless. He couldn't push him past the doorway. "Norge, stop!" He finally yelled, pushing the other man away.

They stared at each other for a moment before Norway crossed his arms in a failed attempt to regain his composure. "Get out of my room, Danmark," he said coldly. To his surprise, Denmark was no longer smiling. He wasn't making obscene hand gestures or trying to wrestle him or telling a stupid pun based off of his previous sentence. He was just standing in the doorway with a frown.

"Why do you always have to push me away?"

Norway uncrossed his arms and stepped back slightly, not sure where any of this was going. "Just shut up and get out," he said under his breath. Denmark sighed quietly and took a step forward. "Why? How come I can't ever talk to you? Sve doesn't talk to me, you don't talk to me... nobody around here wants anything to do with me and I'm tired of it! I do so much for you, Norge."

"You took my land!"

"I didn't want to take it! It was my bosses orders, not mine! I just thought it would be better than this, you know? I didn't think you'd be so bitter and... and apathetic," he replied. Norways eyes were slits now and it took everything he had to not


	2. Chapter 2

**(Here is one that has a 95% chance of never being completed. If for some reason I change my mind, though I doubt I will, I guess you just got a sneak peek. Anyways, this is 3 or 4 chapters. Unedited. DenNor, but would have included MANY characters, as you will notice in the final chapter. Hope you enjoy.)**

Chapter 1: "Pilot"

Through the cool water he moved, swift and steady, knowing his path easily and slowing down for no one. He was teased often for his lack of a tail by all of the mermaids who splashed about in the river, but he didn't have time for them today. He knew exactly where he was going and who he was trying to find before it was too late or he ran out of breath.

He _did_ despise his inability to stay under water for longer than fifteen minutes despite his body being constantly driven to the water. But there was one thing he had that most of the mermaids didn't have. He had magic, enough to save someone from an awful fate set by the Sea Witch, who was notoriously hated but visited often by poor creatures who desired something so much that they were willing to pay with their souls.

Jokes on her, though, because he was much more powerful than she could dream of being. He had been sent to save a mermaid from making a deal that he himself could grant to her without threatening her soon to be soul. Being a fairy wasn't always the most glamorous job, but it was one that Lukas enjoyed. It was better than being around the ones who practically lived for mischief and the harming of humans.

Lukas looked around the murky water, eyes scanning the muddy bottom for what should have been the form of a mermaid, but there was nothing there besides a few brown plants and little red rocks. He looked around frantically, eyes narrowing and hands darting back to swim further. In the distance he could see a shadow, flowing hair, and a glistening tale. That had to be her, or at least someone who knew where he could find her.

Swimming faster, he approached the mermaid, though she darted forward much faster than he could swim once she felt a gush of water coming from him. He wanted to yell out to her, but he was almost treading water already and he didn't dare part his lips. Besides, it would have came out an indistinguishable gurgle. He reached his hand out to grab her tail. A bit crude, but not as crude as her reaching the Sea Witch before he could help.

 _Come on,_ he thought to himself, fingers inching closer and closer to the tail. _You can do this. Just grab it. Grab the tail now . . ._

#

 _Stone with a hole, stone with a hole,_ Mathias murmured to himself as he picked through the small brown rocks near the edge of the water. He had been looking through these rocks for nearly two hours and it was so damn warm today and he just wanted to strip down and get in the water, but there were more important things. Like the princess.

He continued to dig through piles and piles of muddy rocks until finally, after much searching, he found a grey rock with a small round hole in the middle. He threw a fist in the air in triumph, letting out a fake battle cry and holding the stone up to his eye, looking through it. _Does it matter which way I face? Probably not,_ he thought, facing away from the water and pointing the rock at a tree.

"Okay," he whispered, digging in his pocket for a worn piece of parchment paper. He pulled it out with a smile, eyes scanning over the words. "So, uh. Alright! Here goes nothin'." He held the rock up to his eye again and read the words from the paper.

 _The fairies peek and they see me_

 _Now I'll peek and I'll see thee_

He slowly put the rock in his pocket and looked around expectantly. Nothing. There was no fairy or anything even remotely close. Just a chirping frog and a bird that hadn't shut up since he'd arrived. "Damn," he said, folding the paper again and plopping down by the waters edge in defeat. "Harder than I thought."

#

 _Almost. Almost!_ Right as Lukas' fingers touched the edge of the mermaids rubbery tale, he felt himself being pulled back, whirled around, and before he could even blink he was standing on the shore, soaking wet, cold, and confused. He looked around to make sure this wasn't some evil creatures doing. His eyes fell on the figure of a man sitting by the water absent-mindedly tearing grass out of the ground.

It was at this moment that he realized what had happened. He had been called on by whoever this man was and now . . .

Now the mermaid was going to make a deal with the Sea Witch and he couldn't stop it because this man needed him for something. _This better be good,_ he thought, walking slowly over to the man, who did a double-take when he saw him. He probably didn't look much like a fairy right now, but he was there, nonetheless. "You called me," he said, taking deep breaths and coughing up a few drops of water. The man stared with big eyes, looked at his pocket, then looked up at Lukas with a huge goofy grin.

"Yeah, I called ya'!" He wiped his hand on the side of his pants and offered it. Lukas just glared at for a second before the man finally stuck his hand once again at his side. "So you can help me, right? I'm in a funk, ya' know? I got this princess I've been tryin' to get to for a while but a lot of these guys around here have tried and they're-" He made a slicing motion to his neck and smiled nervously, clearing his throat. "So I'd like that to not happen to me! That'd be great."

Lukas stood there, too stunned to speak. An innocent mermaid was going to die because he had been _pulled away_ by some _idiot_ who couldn't even get to a _princess_ on his own. He huffed and turned bright red, wanting so badly to just . . .

"I oughta turn you into a toad."

Mathias stopped smiling and backed away a little, not eager to recieve the full kermit treatment. "Why? You're supposed to help me!"

"You've doomed an innocent mermaid because you called me."

Well, he hadn't known that. He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a sigh. It wasn't like he could fix that now, anyways, so the fairy might as well help him, right? "Listen, this girl is supposed to be amazing, I-"

Lukas sighed dramatically, covering his ears, but he could still hear Mathias talking in the background.

"-hear she's got this gorgeous face and soft hair and a really pretty figure, if you know what I'm gettin' at. But you've gotta kiss her to get her up, and whoever kisses her gets her. I just _know_ she'd wake up if I kissed her."

Nobody had ever asked for something so silly. Lukas wasn't sure if he should slap him or help him or go back home. Going back home was definitely a thought and seemed to be the easiest way to go. He lifted his hand and started muttering the spell that would send him home, but he didn't move from the spot. He looked down at this feet, then up at Mathias, who just watched with big eyes.

He said the spell again, thinking he'd probably messed it up somehow, but he still didn't move. "I've failed," he whispered to himself, reaching up to run his fingers anxiously through his hair. "I've failed and now my magic is gone until I can succeed again but how am I supposed to help anyone else without my magic," he said, tears prickling at his eyes. Mathias just listened, unaware of the rules in the world of fairies. He took a hesitant step forward and said, "Uh, failed? Without magic?"

Lukas turned around, nearly slapping him this time. "We're assigned jobs, and if we fail one, our magic is taken until we successfully complete another job. I let the mermaid go because of you and now my magic is gone and I can't help anyone."

Instead of feeling upset, Mathias took this as an opportunity. "You can help me! Once you're done you can get your magic back and I'll have the princess! It's a win win, right?" Lukas did actually slap him this time, but honestly it hurt his hand more than it must have hurt Mathias, who was still smiling. Lukas rubbed his wrist, eyes narrowing as he looked the man up and down. "I can't help you without magic, you idiot."

He was _still_ smiling. Did this guy ever stop? "I don't care if you don't have magic. I'll take all the help I can get."

Lukas stared down at the pebbles for a second before looking up at him. He looked like an eager puppy or something. "You really want this?"

Mathias nodded, pulling a piece of paper out of the bag on his shoulder. "Yep! I even got this map to find her," he said, handing Lukas a roughly drawn map. He thought it was a map of the country at first, but as he continued to look, he realized it was a map of the entire world and he shoved the paper into Mathias' chest, turning away. "Do you understand how far away this is? This is _insane._ No princess could be worth that."

It was no surprise when the man shook his head and rolled the map up again. "C'mon, I hear really good things. Plus, imagine all the respect I'd get! They'd be like, 'Oh yeah, that knight right there saved that princess who couldn't be saved' and I'd be like, 'Please, it was all in a days work'. Then I'd hand out mini signed portraits of myself. Got a pose ready and everything."

Every word this man said was like a dagger in his nerves. He didn't know if he could travel this far with him without killing him. "You are an absolute ass. Why would I travel all this way with you?"

Mathias just shrugged. "Good question," he replied. "Maybe so you could get your magic back. I guess it isn't as important as ya' say, though." Lukas scoffed, crossed his arms, and shook his head. He couldn't believe this was happening or that he was agreeing to it.

"Fine. Just stay in your lane, fool."

With that, he pushed past Mathias and began walking up the stream towards the nearest village.

#

The village was a very lively place, not too big and not too small, and towering over the village was a sturdy castle that was admired by most of the people who lived there. Mathias was accustomed to the castle by now and paid no mind to it, but Lukas looked up at it as they passed, thinking it was fascinating that normal humans could even create such a thing. He wouldn't dare show that he admired something about the world Mathias lived in. He turned his nose up and kept walking, always one foot ahead at least.

"Whoa, can't ya' slow down or somethin'?" Mathias was nearly having to jog to keep up, but Lukas liked it that way. It was a way to entertain himself until they found a place to stop in the village, a bakery, it seemed, much to Mathias' protests. He insisted on the pub or a hall, but there was no way he was going to deal with drunks and beggars. The bakery, though smaller and less lively, was a better place to discuss.

Though Lukas wasn't hungry himself, the other man was persistant about eating something, so he ordered himself a pastry and munched on it noisily while he watched people go in and out of the building. A little boy came in, looking too young to be travelling on his own. Lukas couldn't help but notice him, too, due to the red cloak he was wearing. They both stared at him as he walked up to the counter and began picking out an array of sweets and pastries.

Mathias nudged Lukas and popped the rest of the pastry into his mouth. "Hey, that seems like-"

"Don't talk with your mouth full."

He put up his hands defensively, finished chewing, and said, "Seems like a lot of stuff for just that kid. Where'd he get the money for all that?" They both watched him take a few gold coins out of his pocket and toss them up to the counter. He smiled and compiled the pastries into a basket he was carrying with him. "Hey!"

Lukas covered his face in embarrassment when Mathias called the boy over. The boy was already digging into a muffin as he started walking over. "What?" He said with full cheeks. Mathias just shrugged and said, "You gonna eat all that food or ya' savin' it for someone else?"

The boy smiled, a little too brightly, if I might add. "For my grandma! It's hard for her to walk anymore so I have to get food for her. She'll really like these! I'm going to bring them by tomorrow. Oh, my name's Peter, by the way!"

The two men looked at each other, gawking at how open this boy was. It was good to be trusting, but not _this_ trusting. For all he knew, they could have been killers. They weren't, of course, but still. He was just so damn happy to be friendly to strangers and it was almost weird. Lukas started to say something, but Mathias was already talking.

"Well that's pretty nice of you! I definitely hope she get's better," he said, giving him a slap on the shoulder. The boy nodded cheerfully and waved at them as he walked out. "Thanks! I hope so, too!" He disappeared behind the wooden door and they both just shook their heads.

"Okay, well... back to business! Uh, names! My name's Mathias. Yours is?"

"Lukas."

"Lukas isn't a fairy name."

Lukas scoffed and rolled his eyes. "As if _you_ would know anything about fairy names." That was true. All that Mathias knew about fairies was written in books. He suddenly sat up and peered behind the other man, trying to get a view of his back. "Where's your wings?"

"Wings? I don't have wings."

Mathias stared at him, then looked at his back hopefully again. "Wow, that would be cool if you did, though. You could fly places and carry me!"

"...I wouldn't do that."

Mathias grinned and leaned back, crossing his arms with a smug look across his face. "I don't know if I'd trust ya', anyways. You'd probably drop me," he said. "'Cause I'm really strong, ya' know, so I got a lot of muscles you'd have to carry."

Was he seriously bragging about his strength? _His mortal strength?_ Lukas would have roasted him if he would have had his magic to prove how much stronger he was than Mathias. It was weird though that he was bragging. Never in his life had a human bragged to him. It was a bit of a gutsy move, he had to admit. He didn't admire him for it, though. "You'll brag to the wrong fairy and end up a toad," he said apathetically. Mathias just shrugged and bit into a muffin, crumbs going everywhere.

Once he was finished, he took out the map from earlier and laid it across the table. "Okay, so I drew out the best path. This saves us the most time. The castle is all the way over here on this island. See? We need to gather some stuff before we go, though. We could leave by mornin', I bet! I gotta get a horse though."

"Horses. Two."

"But I don't got the money for two!"

"Then 'I don't got the time' for _you_ ," Lukas snapped. Mathias huffed and took a dagger out of his bag, which scared the hell out of the other man at first, but he seemed to just be admiring it. "Well, goodbye, old friend. Tradin' you for a _horse,_ " he said bitterly, squinting at Lukas, who really didn't care. He was the one who helping him in the first place, which he didn't even have to do.

They discussed what they needed, where exactly they could go and could bare to go, and how long they figured it would take. Once they had that down, they parted ways, agreeing to meet at the bakery in the morning for the start of what was going to be a long adventure.

Chapter 2: "Little Red"

Mathias fixed up the saddles on the horses while Lukas double checked to make sure they had everything they needed. Unlike yesterday, Mathias was carring a large sword that dangled all the way down to his calves. He definitely looked more like a knight than he had, and that made Lukas a bit nervous. It would make anyone nervous to have a travelling partner who kept a sword on themselves, though.

At least they had their own horses. Lukas climbed onto his and patted its head, while Mathias climbed on and immediately grabbed onto the base of the harness. "You ready, Lukas?" When he nodded, Mathias kicked the horse with his heel. He didn't expect to have to do _that._ He looked nervously at his own horse and just gave it a tiny kick. It ran, just not very fast. That was fine by him, though. He would rather go slow than have to give it a hard kick.

"What are you doin' back there?" Mathias pulled on the reins and rode back to his side, already in the mood to tease him. "You gotta put some strength into it!"

"I'm not kicking the horse."

"But-"

"I'm not kicking the horse."

Mathias sighed and slumped down as he rode along, not talking for a while, surprisingly. After thirty minutes or so, he was making noises with his mouth and singing under his breath. Anything he could do to amuse himself, he was doing it. He looked over at Lukas, who was looking forward and daydreaming, completely lost in his own world. "Lukas."

"I don't feel like talking."

"Well I do. What's it like to be a fairy? That must be pretty great. You get magic and you can fly and be tiny." Lukas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He said he didn't feel like talking so why was he still going on? "And you get to help people."

"Not all fairies are helpful."

"But you are."

Lukas shrugged and played with the mane on the horse, braiding pieces of hair absent-mindedly. He had nothing to say. Mathias grew impatient, though. "Can I see what you look like when you're tiny?"

"No."

"BUT-"

"It takes a lot of energy."

Mathias pouted as he clutched onto the reins again. About an hour in, they both decided to stop and take the horses to a nearby stream to get a drink. They both got off and looked around. There was just trees. Trees for miles. Well, there was the dirt path, but besides that, trees. Mathias wandered off behind one and was being watched by the other, who just _knew_ he was up to something shady.

"What are you hiding?"

"Wh...?" Mathias leaned back, poking his head out from behind the tree. "My knob."

Lukas just stared at him for a second before turning away quickly. He could hear the other man laughing in the background and he covered his ears. "You gotta go when you gotta go! Don't tell me fairies don't ever need to take a piss."

Lukas glared at a walnut on the ground and shot a dirty look at the base of the tree. "We aren't so crude about it, and we definitely don't call our... _parts,_ a knob." _Disgusting,_ he thought to himself. Humans were too open about everything. Mathias came back over, still buttoning up his pants. _Absolutely disgusting,_ he thought again, looking at his pants.

"Yeah, well. You'll have to piss soon and I'll be right there cheerin' you on," he said, hopping back on the horse. Lukas opened his mouth to speak, but behind him he heard a scream. He turned and looked off into the woods. He scrambled to get back onto the horse, clutching it for dear life. "What was that?"

Mathias gave the horse a start and placed his hand over of his sword, while Lukas just followed timidly. It wasn't that he was weak or wasn't brave, he had just never had to face anything without magic. He wasn't sure if he could fight at all anymore. He'd rarely had to wield a sword or a knife or a bow. He'd just say a spell and the person was toast. Now that he didn't have that luxury, he was lost, blindly following Mathias into the forest.

"Wait, wait! Stop riding. Be quiet," Mathias whispered. He seemed to be listening for another scream. Just as they were about to continue riding, they heard someone yell, "NO!" They rode again, faster than before, towards the noise. The wind was blowing loudly in Lukas' ears and his heart was racing. Mathias suddenly pulled on his reigns and he nearly ran into him, but stopped the horse just in time to see the other man jump off and start towards a small cottage he hadn't noticed before.

As soon as he came to the door, Mathias put his hand on the doorknob. Lukas scoffed and knocked his hand away, pointing to the window. "Don't run into this. Look in the window first," he whispered harshly as he pointed at a dirty window to his left. Mathias cupped his hands and looked inside, seeing nothing but an empty house. "Lukas, we gotta go in." He pushed the door open again and looked around, searching for any signs of a struggle, but there was absolutely nothing.

"Upstairs?"

Mathias nodded, drew his sword, and started cautiously up to the second floor. It lead to a single bedroom with a large bed in the center. There was a lump in the bed, but it was completely still. "Wh...?" Lukas stayed in the doorway while Mathias went right up next to the bed and pulled down the covers.

"Lukas!" He whispered, backing away. "Holy hell what is happening."

"What is-"

"Oh, hell."

"Is that a-"

"Oh yeah. And he must have..." He poked the animals stomach with the sword and started to gag a little, looking away. "Okay, okay, uh..." He raised his sword and Lukas ran back downstairs, wanting no part in this.

#

"HOLY MOTHER OF ODIN SWEET FREYA SAVE ME," He yelled as he shoved the bloody sword back into its holster and held his hands up sat shoulder level, looking down at Peter and his grandmother, who looked like they'd just been rebirthed. "Ah, hell. Damn, shit, it's all over my hands. You're welcome. You are VERY welcome, holy shit." He put his hands on his knees and bent over, thinking he might puke at any moment. "LUKAS! LUKAS!"

Lukas came running up the stairs and stared at him, immediately lifting his hands up and running his fingers through his hair nervously. "You have blood all over your hands." He looked at Peter and paled. "Oh, goodness. That's... That's the boy from the bakery."

"What?" He lifted a hand up and wiped some of the blood off of the boys face. He smiled and said, "Thank you so much! That was really scary but I'm glad you were here to save us!"

"Oh, yeah. That's definitely him."

Lukas rubbed his forehead and groaned. Mathias held his hands out to him. "Hey, hey, Lukas." The man immediately glared and started to back away. "Don't you dare touch me, Mathias. If you get any of that on me I _swear_."

"Are you both leaving?"

They stopped and turned to Peter, who was watching with large eyes and tugging on the strings on his red cloak. Mathias patted his head with a smile. "Of course! Gotta save other people, right? I'm tryin' to get to a princess myself."

"Oh, wow!"

Mathias beamed and struck a pose. "Yes, but it's," he turned, giving a wink. "All in a day's work."

Lukas rolled his eyes and grabbed his arm, tugging him back down the stairs. Peter followed, asking questions and making excited comments until they were both on their horses and ready to leave again. "Bye!" He yelled, waving excitedly. Mathias gave him a big, happy wave while Lukas just gave a tiny nod.

They rode along until they came to a stream again and Mathias could finally clean himself up. The blood was already cakey and dry, but it felt good to get it off. "Man, that felt so good. Scary, but good," Mathias muttered. Lukas turned, looking him up and down and walking over to stand by him. "To kill that animal?"

Mathias shot him a look and shrugged. "No, to help them. I mean, it was gross. But did you see how that kid looked at me? That was great. I want everyone to look at me like that." He got on his horse again, grinning as if imagining he was coming home a hero. Lukas watched him with a blank expression and climbed back onto his horse. "It doesn't matter."

"What? What's that supposed to mean?"

Lukas shrugged and tugged on the horses ear gently. "Just doesn't matter. There are more important things to want."

"You wouldn't understand."

He shrugged at Mathias, not really caring if he thought he didn't understand. He knew a bit about the world humans lived in, and one of the weirdest things to him was this obsession with fame and recognition they seemed to have. It wasn't logical to want to have everyone like you. In fact, it was nearly impossible. But Mathias seemed to be completely wrapped up in his dream, so he didn't bother with breaking it for him. He'd probably have to find out on his own, anyways.

They decided to set out again one last time. They rode for a while, somehow managing to find the path again. As they went deeper into the forest, it grew darker and far more ominous than before. Maybe that was because the sun was setting as well. Either way, both were wary and attentive. They weren't sure what was out there, but they _did_ know for a fact that there were wolves.

"Do you think we should make camp?"

Mathias nodded quickly and pulled over, travelling back a ways off the path until they came to a clear spot beneath a tree. He hopped off the horse, tied it to a branch, and lit two lamps before it could get too dark to see. He handed one to Lukas, who was already plopped down under the tree. He took it, but didn't really use it. "Blanket," he snapped, extending a hand to Mathias, who tossed him a blanket. He covered up and leaned back against the tree. He was exhausted from the day, which was weird because he was never tired. He figured it had something to do with losing his magic.

He watched Mathias as he sat down a few feet away from him and went over the map, making a few marks on it. When he was finished, he just laid down with his hands tucked behind his head. "Hey, Lukas?"

"What?"

"How old are you?"

"Fifty-two."

Mathias turned and stared at him with a smile. "Whoa, lookin' good for an old man!" Lukas wasn't amused by the comment and just looked away, crossing his arms. "Don't you guys live forever?"

"No."

Mathias nodded slowly and looked up at the stars, yawning quietly. "But you live for a while, right? You guys get really old?"

"Five-hundred."

"Damn, that's old."

Lukas shot him a dirty look, scoffing, but not surprised at all. He was a human, after all, and they said stupid things all the time. They were usually just jealous that they couldn't live that long. He didn't even reply to Mathias' stupid comment, but he could tell that the man was waiting for a response. When one didn't come, he said, "So you're pretty young for a fairy, huh?"

"I guess." Not that it mattered. He still had the same powers as some of the older fairies. He was no less effective. He slumped down further and ran his fingers through the grass next to him, not knowing what else to do. He didn't want to talk to Mathias, but he wasn't quite ready for sleep. After a few minutes, Mathias said, "What happens when you die?"

"Doesn't matter."

Mathias gave him a funny look. "What? Why not? You have to-"

"I don't feel like talking."

"But I was just-"

Lukas got up, grabbed the lantern and blanket, and went to a different tree, leaving Mathias alone to contemplate why he was being so strange about something so minor.

Chapter 3: "Cold as Snow"

The pair travelled on for days without stopping for anything but resting. They met a few travelers on their way, even another knight, but besides that, there was nothing exciting. Just tree after tree, village after village. Luckily, they would be in a city soon, according to the map. The city was supposed to be big and Mathias was excited to explore it, much to Lukas' chagrin.

It wasn't that he didn't want to explore the city, too, it was just that he wanted to continue moving, get to the castle, get his magic back. Mathias was more of a "stop and sniff the roses" kind of guy. It took more than just a kind word to get him to move along sometimes, he'd discovered. Surprisingly, he wasn't hard-headed. Lukas would tell him to get back on his horse and Mathias would answer with, "No." He'd try again. _"Mathias, get back on the horse so we can go."_ He expected another rejection, but he smiled and said, "Okay!" Eager as ever.

From what he could tell, he would try his way, and if that didn't work once, he went along with what Lukas wanted. Except for today. Today, Mathias struggled to get off his horse because he had to piss so bad. He slid down, stumbled, and ran behind the nearest bush.

"Still too close," said Lukas, but Mathias was already pulling down his fly and he just had to look away, mumbling under his breath. He could hear him going. He scrunched up his nose and crossed his arms, trying to ignore it. At least there was nobody else around.

"Holy sh-" Mathias said, flinching and nearly falling into the bush. "God, what the hell is that? Lukas!" He zipped his pants up and started running up a hill. Lukas just watched blankly, wondering if he should follow or what. He figured he should. He was supposed to be helping him. He made his way up the hill, his arms still crossed. Once he got to the top, he saw Mathias tapping on a glass case with his finger. "Hey! Hey, you there? What the hell, Lukas. Check this guy out! I think he's dead."

Lukas dropped to his knees and peered in at the man in the glass case. He had on a little crown that must have been roses at one time, but now it was just thorns. "We need to lift this off of him," he said, pushing his palms against the case. Mathias began to help until the glass top was off. They looked down at the man curiously, unsure of what to do.

"Hey!" Mathias said, shaking the mans shoulder roughly. "Wake up! Rise in shine!"

"Mathias, that isn't working."

Lukas put two fingers on his neck and could still feel his heart beating, so he wasn't dead, that was for sure. For a good minute they both tried to wake him, but he didn't even show a sign of waking. He was in some sort of deep sleep.

"Lukas, wait a second! Maybe we're supposed to kiss him!"

"No. I'm not kissing him."

"Why do I have to kiss him!?"

Lukas shoved Mathias' face down in front of the sleeping mans and he glared up at him before giving him a very hesitant kiss. They waited, but he still didn't wake up. Mathias shoved the hand away from his head and stood up straight, trying to regain his composure. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Leave him here. Someone put him here for a reason."

Mathias didn't listen. He picked the man up and tossed him onto his shoulder, heading back down the hill towards the horses. "Yeah right, so some wild animal can make dinner outa him? Have a heart, Norske." He tossed the man onto the horse face down and covered him with a blanket.

"Someone might see him, Mathias."

"Nobody is gonna see him! Stop worrying so much," he replied, mounting his horse and grabbing the reins. Seeing no other choice, Lukas mounted his horse, too, and they started for the city once again.

#

"You left him on the horse."

"You can't even tell he's there!" Mathias said, taking another drink of his beer and peeking out the window again. "Just looks like a blanket. Besides, I haven't had a beer in a good week. Gimme a break."

Lukas grumbled to himself and kept watching the window nervously since clearly Mathias was too preoccupied. Nobody had seemed to notice yet, so maybe they were in the clear. He just didn't want to seem like he was carrying along a dead body or something. For some reason it was like Mathias didn't even care. "Mathias, I-" He stared at the empty seat in front of him and looked around, spotting the man at a table playing poker.

He squinted, made his way over, and grabbed Mathias' beer off the table.

"Norsk, wh-"

Before he could finish speaking, he was drenched in beer and Lukas was strolling out. He waited a few minutes before finally getting up and finding him outside by the horse, leaning protectively against the sleeping man. When he walked over, Lukas turned away and mounted his own horse, starting for the forest alone, deciding that they wouldn't be exploring the city after all.

 _Oh, I see how it's gonna be,_ Mathias thought as he climbed onto the horse and followed grumpily. I use the term grumpily loosely, because he was over it by the time they were into the forest again. "Look what I won!" He said proudly, taking out a gold pocketwatch. Lukas didn't even look at it. It might as well have been worthless considering he cheated somebody out of it.

"Come on, why do you have to gimme the cold shoulder?" He asked, leaning in to stare at the other mans face with a tone that truly sounded upset. Lukas only glanced at him for a moment before looking forward again, ignoring the question. Mathias looked away and shrugged in defeat. For now.

They travelled further down, getting into a part of the woods that looked a little different. The amount of trees was lessening for some reason. They both noticed it, but neither said anything. After a few minutes, Mathias turned sharply to his left and whispered, "Did you hear that?"

Lukas rolled his eyes at the attempt at a conversation. _Pathetic._ "There was nothing to hear, you ass. Stop looking for excused to-"

An arrow shot straight down from one of the trees and into the tree next to Mathias' head. "Told you!" He yelled, kicking the horse hard with his heel and taking off. Lukas followed, glancing back behind him for a second.

Chasing them was one man, though it felt like many. From what Lukas could tell, he had a black horse and some sort of cape. The moment he raised his bow again, Lukas turned around and yelled, "Duck!"

Both leaned down, just barely missing the arrow he shot. Hopefully he'd run out of arrows because he was gaining and their horses weren't going as fast as they needed them to. "Mathias, what are we going to do?"

Mathias suddenly pulled back the reins, bringing the horse to a screeching halt. "We gotta fight him! He won't go away if we don't."

Lukas hesitantly pulled on the horses reins. "What? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! We have to run!"

The mysterious man stopped his horse behind them and they each took out a weapon. For Lukas, it was a small dagger, and for Mathias it was a sword. Both tried to stand their ground, but from what they could tell up close, the man had both a bow and a sword, so there was no swinging at him blindly.

"What do ya want?" Mathias spat, gripping the handle tighter. The man took off his hood, revealing a pair of bright green eyes and a wide grin.

Both took a step back. "I saw you pull out that pocketwatch at the edge of the forest. You like to flaunt you wealth, do you?" The man said, drawing his sword at last. Mathias stepped in front of Lukas, who scoffed at the idea that he needed someone to defend him. But then again, he didn't know what this mystery man was capable of.

"Wh...? I'm not wealthy! I won it in a poker match!"

The man lowered his sword only slightly, suspicion glowing in his eyes. "I don't believe you. What have you got there?" He said, pointing to the unconscious man under the blanket on the horse. Mathias forced a laugh and leaned against it casually. "Oh, this ol' thing? Just more blankets underneath!"

Lukas slapped his hand across his forehead and inwardly groaned. _You blew it,_ he thought. Mathias, it seemed, was a horrible liar.

"Show me. Lift the blanket up or I'll slay you right here!"

Mathias looked to Lukas for advice. Should he lift the blanket? Should he continue to try to hide it? Lukas gave him no advice. He just looked away, probably pissed that he'd blown their cover. Mathias finally reached up and slowly pulled the blanket off, revealing the man draped over their horse.

The mystery man stared for a moment before stepping closer, an angry look on his face. "So you're killers, too, are you?"

"No! No, no, no! He's still alive. Just sleepin'!"

"Then wake him up!"

Mathias fell silent again. Nobody said anything for a moment. Mathias and Lukas stared at the leaves on the ground, not knowing what to do or say.

"Give him to me."

Mathias pulled the man off of the horse and clutched him awkwardly, squinting at the other man with untrusting eyes. "What are you gonna do?"

"I will try to revive him."

It was worth a shot. Mathias didn't think there was anything else he could do with him, and he couldn't go with them for the entire journey. He laid the man down in the leaves, then backed away slowly, leaving the mystery man to his work.

Lukas observed him with curosity, reading the name on the mans sword. "Antonio," he muttered. The mans eyes shot up, and he nodded, then turned to the man again. "But it's Robin Hood to you both."

Antonio checked his pulse, surprised to see that he really was still alive. He leaned down to feel for breathing, but he wasn't breathing at all. "Did you try kissing him?"

Lukas turned to Mathias, who grumbled and looked down more. "Yeah."

"Hm. This seems like that would be the cure. I don't understand."

"I mean, you could try again."

Antonio shrugged and leaned down, giving him a kiss on the lips.

The reaction was almost instant. He sat up, leaned over to the side, gasping for air, and coughed up what seemed like a chunk of a tomato. Antonio assumed he choked on it. "Are you alright?" He held the mans face, observing him further. He looked very dizzy and his eyes wandered around, finally stopping on Antonio's face.

"Why the fuck are you touching me?"

"Wait, what?"

The man frantically got up and wiped his lips off. "Did you kiss me, bastard? Sick!" He suddenly noticed Mathias and Lukas. "And who are those assholes?"

It became clear that what happened to this man was no accident, and they thought it was very appropriate to want to get rid of him. They didn't blame whoever put him in the glass case because he was, quite frankly, a grumpy asshole.

"True loves kiss!" Mathias yelled, laughing as Antonio shot him a glare. Mathias promptly shut up, trying not to laugh. Even Lukas was smiling slightly at Antonio's unfortunate circumstance.

"Where the hell am I?"

"You're in the forest. We're just right outside of the city. What's your name?"

". . . Lovino. And what's yours? Bastard Asshole the Fourth? Why the hell are you so close to me?"

"I saved you. Aren't you going to say thank you?"

Lovino pushed past him and said, "You wish! Maybe I liked being inconcious!"

Mathias was practically on the floor laughing by now, and Lukas was covering his mouth with his hand. Antonio, in an attempt to keep his pride, said, "I'll tame him! Don't you worry." In all actuality, Antonio had no idea how he was going to handle the situation. He'd just have to figure it out as he went along.

"How the hell am I getting out of this forest, bastard?" Lovino said, climbing onto his horse. Antonio sighed lightly and got onto the horse in front of Lovino, who looked him up with some amount of disdain, and some amount of curiosity. Antonio didn't notice this, but Lukas did, and he was sure everything between them would be okay.

They both rode off on the horse and Mathias and Lukas watched until they couldn't see them anymore. Once they were gone, Mathias turned to Lukas with a shit-eating grin and said, "And I thought _you_ were bad."

#

Lukas wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and scooted closer to the fire, letting his eyelids fall shut. The night was cool and the heat hitting his face felt so nice. Mathias was sitting across from him on the other side of the fire. He had a book out and was scribbling in it frantically.

Normally, Lukas didn't care what Mathias was going as long as it didn't effect him, but he had been scribbling for a while and he was curious. "What are you doing?"

"Writing!"

"More details."

Instead of telling him, he slid the book over. Lukas flipped through the pages, skimming the words. The first few pages were recounting the mishap with the wolf, though for some reason, he wrote Peter as a girl. He continued on, seeing a few sloppy illustrations before coming to the tale of "Robin Hood", which came into the story about "Snow White", though he had made some obvious edits.

"Why?" He asked, giving the book back. Mathias began writing again and said, "They're fun, huh? I bet people'd like to read 'em. I could be a famous writer!"

"But I thought you were the Mathias Kohler famous for saving the unsaveable princess?" Lukas teased. Mathias stopped writing and said, "You're right. I need a pen name."

"I was just. . . nevermind."

"I'll think of one. That's pretty smart, Norsk."


End file.
